For PA and U.S. Manufacturing to Flourish, Policymakers Need to Be Beholden to Some Different Defunct Economists

Posted by Stephen Herzenberg on October 20, 2017 4:25 pm
Posted in:

This past Tuesday, Keystone Research Center co-sponsored “Manufacturing a Better Paying Pennsylvania” with the D.C.-based Century Foundation, the Steel Valley Authority, and others. The event laid out the case for the U.S. and Pennsylvania to implement comprehensive strategies for growing high-wage manufacturing. This Pittsburgh Post-Gazette op ed lays out the basic argument.

STATEMENT: On Shale Tax and Cancelled House Session

Posted by Marc Stier on October 19, 2017 4:00 pm
Posted in:

Marc Stier, Director of the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center, released the following statement on the decision by the House to cancel session days on October 23, 24, and 25:

"We at the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center generally don't comment on when the House chooses to be in session. But the decision by Speaker Mike Turzai and Majority Leader Dave Reed to cancel voting sessions next week—on October 23, 24, and 25—and to do so the day after the House Finance Committee approved a shale tax bill on a bi-partisan basis reeks of both chicanery and desperation.

Natural Gas Producers in PA Don't Pay Their Fair Share

Posted by Stephen Herzenberg on October 18, 2017 1:30 pm
Posted in:

In recent months -- and weeks -- Pennsylvania’s legislature has shown renewed interest in enacting a severance tax on natural gas extraction as part of the state’s overdue revenue package to fund the state budget. In response, the natural gas industry has maintained a steady drumbeat of communications claiming that Pennsylvania already has a tax on gas extraction because of its per well impact fee which does not rise with the volume or value of gas drilled.

STATEMENT: On State House Revenue Plan

Posted by Marc Stier on October 18, 2017 10:03 am
Posted in:

Update noon, October 18: There is talk around the capitol that a shale tax will come out of the House Finance Committee today and coming to a vote on the House floor later this week. This legislation must be part of the budget this year. It is the difference between a budget that takes a step forward to address our long term budget problems and one that makes those problems worse.

STATEMENT: On President Trump's ACA-Killing Actions

Posted by Marc Stier on October 13, 2017 11:00 am
Posted in:

Marc Stier, Director of the PA Budget and Policy Center, made the following statement in response to President Trump's recent announcements of actions that affect the Affordable Care Act:

"President Trump’s actions in the last two days put the health insurance of over 400,000 Pennsylvanians at risk. It will lead to an increase in health insurance premiums in the marketplaces of over 20%.

STATEMENT: On the Governor's Plan to Securitize PLCB Profits

Posted by Marc Stier on October 4, 2017 5:25 pm
Posted in:

Marc Stier, Director of the PA Budget and Policy Center, made the following statement after the release of the Governor's plan to securitize PLCB profits.

GOP-Trump Tax Plan: A Windfall for Top 1% of Pennsylvania, a Tax Increase for Many Middle Class Pennsylvanians

Posted by Marc Stier on October 4, 2017 11:21 am
Posted in:

A 50-state analysis of the GOP tax framework reveals that in Pennsylvania, the top 1 percent of taxpayers would receive a substantial tax cut worth $67,970 while many upper middle class Pennsylvanians would face a tax increase. This plan is bad for Pennsylvania and our country.

No time for giving up

Posted by Marc Stier on October 3, 2017 6:21 pm
Posted in:

It appears that members of the General Assembly are moving towards a final plan for funding the budget they passed in June. We share the sense of relief that is gradually emanating from the Capitol—we, too, are tired of talking about the budget. But we also know that the urge to get something done can sometimes overcome the urge to get it done right. So now is the time for members to demand that this budget not just be finished but be finished right. That means two things.

Rigging the Economy to Further Benefit the 1% -- the Pennsylvania Numbers

Posted by Stephen Herzenberg on October 3, 2017 4:07 pm
Posted in:
Last Friday, we got the first national estimates of who benefits from the Trump Tax plan -- the "Unified Code for Rigging Our Tax Code Further to Benefit the 1%." While that's not the official title, it's more accurate than the Trump Administration name -- "the Unified Framework for Fixing Our Broken Tax Code." Last week's analysis by the Tax Policy Center showed that, by 2027 (Table 3 in the Center's report), 80% of the benefits would go to the top 1%, an increase from 53% in 2018 (Table

Don't Let the Extremists Win

Posted by Marc Stier on September 29, 2017 12:43 pm
Posted in:

 There are lots of rumors about a budget deal flying around Harrisburg but few details and even less assurance that the deal will stick, that is, that votes will be found to approve in in the House and the Senate.

 What little we hear is concerning. And the best way to understand our concerns is to look again at why we have not reached a deal until this point—extremists control the Republican Party in the House.

Syndicate content